Heading into the summer transfer window, both Arsenal and Chelsea were in dire need of defensive enforcements. Both teams had center backs that were out injured or in general needed to be upgraded on. Chelsea opted to re-sign David Luiz, whereas Arsenal chose to bring Shkodran Mustafi, a German international who was with Valencia at the time. Both signings were confirmed relatively late in the transfer window.
They have been vital for their team’s success so far as both have fitted in respectively at their clubs. It was like a homecoming for Brazilian Luiz. The charismatic center back had spent close to 3 years at Stamford Bridge before he moved to Paris Saint-Germain. Mustafi, on the other hand, had become a really important player for Valencia and one can see why these two center backs were bought by their teams. Both have performed similarly so far this season and hence a comparison between these two players makes perfect sense.
Antonio Conte seems to have transformed David Luiz into a highly effective defender. The Brazilian was error-prone in his previous stay at Chelsea. The Brazilian has played 6 games so far this season, whereas his German counterpart has played 7. Mustafi edges out Luiz in tackles per game as he averages 2.7 tackles, whereas the Brazilian scores 1.5. Both Arsenal and Chelsea are teams that like to have possession of the ball and hence interceptions are a key part of how both the teams express themselves. The German again edges out Luiz in interceptions per game as he scores 2.7 whereas Luiz scores 1.7.
Luiz is part of a 3 man defence, whereas Mustafi is partnered by Laurent Koscielny alone. That perhaps explains the next stat, tackles per game. The former Valencia man averages 1.1 whereas Luiz averages 0.8 per game. Coming to offsides won per game, Mustafi again has the upper-hand on his counterpart from Chelsea, as he wins an average of 1.1 offsides per game. The Brazilian wins an average of 0.7.
Mustafi also edges out Luiz in aerial duels won per game as he averages around 3 per game. Luiz, on the other hand, averages 1.8. Clearances are an important part of a defender’s game. Mustafi again trumps his rival from across London as he makes around 5.1 clearances per game, whereas Luiz makes 4.8 clearances. When it comes to blocks, The Brazilian has the upper-hand on Mustafi. He averages 1 block(s)per game whereas Mustafi averages 0.1 per game.
The maverick Brazilian defender might have cleaned up his act to some extent, but he still gets dispossessed on the ball. He averages 0.3 of such moments per game. Whereas Mustafi has a score of just 0.1. Luiz also has a bad stat when it comes to getting dribbled past. He gets dribbled past 0.7 times per game whereas Mustafi does slightly better, getting dribbled past 0.4 times per game.
Both players have done decently when it comes to their disciplinary record as they have only 1 yellow card to their name each. This will delight both managers and will expect their new signings to continue their good form and prolong it into the rest of the season. All in all, Mustafi does edge out David Luiz and gets an overall WhoScored rating of 7.46. Luiz, on the other hand, gets a rating of 7.21.
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